urance. And
gradually I came to see that after all the horses probably would have
given out before this, under the cumulative effect of two days of it,
had they not found things somewhat more endurable to-day.

We wallowed along... And then we stopped. I shouted to the
horses--nothing but a shout could have the slightest effect against the
wind. They started to fidget and to dance and to turn this way and that,
but they would not go. I wasted three or four minutes before I shook
free of my robes and jumped out to investigate. Well, we were in the
corner formed by two fences--caught as in a trap. I was dumbfounded.
I did not know of any fence in these parts, of none where I thought
I should be. And how had we got into it? I had not passed through any
gate. There was, of course, no use in conjecturing. If the wind had not
veered around completely, one of the fences must run north-south, the
other one east-west, and we were in the southeast corner of some farm.
Where there was a fence, I was likely to find a farmyard. It could not
be to the east, so there remained three guesses. I turned back to the
west. I skirted the fence closely, so closely that even in the failing
light and in spite of the drifting snow I did not lose sight of it. Soon
the going began to be less rough; the choppy motion of the cutter seemed
to indicate that we were on fall-ploughed land; and not much later Peter
gave a snort. We were apparently nearing a group of buildings. I heard
the heavy thump of galloping horses, and a second later I saw a light
which moved.

I hailed the man; and he came over and answered my questions. Yes, the
wind had turned somewhat; it came nearly from the east now (so that was
what had misled me); I was only half a mile west of my old trail, but
still, for all that, nearly twelve miles from town. In this there was
good news as well as bad. I remembered the place now; just south of the
twelve-mile bridge I had often caught sight of it to the west. Instead
of crossing the wild land along its diagonal, I had, deceived by the
changed direction of the wind, skirted its northern edge, holding
close to the line of poplars. I thought of the fence: yes, the man who
answered my questions was renting from the owner of that pure-bred Angus
herd; he was hauling wood for him and had taken the fence on the west
side down. I had passed between two posts without noticing them. He
showed me the south gate and gave me the general direction.